Cinderella
by It's All A Facade
Summary: Summary- If you know what you're doing, one night's all you need to fall in love. "I'm not alone- there's you", he shrugged. "I don't count. I'm nobody", I said quickly. "A nobody you should really forget insulted you." Now a multi-chaptered story, as promised!
1. Prologue

**A/N- This is just the first time Cinderella and the prince met at the ball. I took a few (pretty big) liberties with their personalities. I know the language I use is a little too modern sometimes. Sorry. I just want to put this out there- there isn't any mention of midnight or the ugly stepsisters because she's trying to put that out of her mind and just relax for once. (This is now the prologue to the whole story.)**

**Disclaimer- I don't claim to own anything. Except for maybe my jokes.**

"You wear the clothes, but besides that, you don't look like a royal", someone drawled behind me. "You don't stand like one, you don't behave like one, and a royal would never stand out here alone." I took a deep breath.

"Hey, listen- just shut up. Hear that?" The balcony door was open, and you could hear the music and chattering and clinking of glasses. "That- that is the sound of happiness. Now start talking again."

"Wha-" I quickly cut him off.

"And _that_ is the sound of complete and utter misery", I finished, whirling around. A handsome man, with dark hair and blue eyes, with a stereotypical fancy suit and crown... Crown. A crown. He was wearing a crown. Crown. Princes wear crowns. Crown. Prince. I just insulted the one man who could completely ruin my life- well, even more, that is. Prince. I just insulted the prince. Very insultingly, too. I just insultingly insulted the prince. Smart.

"Ta-da!" He spread his arms wide sarcastically and took a bow.

"Prince- you're a prince! You're _the_ prince! The prince the ball is for! The prince _this_ ball is for!" I sputtered. I whirled back around, looking over the edge of the balcony. "Quick question- Your Supreme Excellent Superb Wonderful Amazing Astounding Regal Awesome Incredible Extraordinary And All That Majesty- Do you think I could survive the fall and safely make my escape?" The corner of his lips twitched- hopefully.

"Don't be foolish- Your Supreme Excellent Superb Wonderful Amazing Astounding Regal Awesome Majesty will do just fine. No need for all that other stuff. And let me see." He slowly walked over next to me and looked down. "... Nope, it's too high. You'd never make it."

"Damn."

"And a royal would never stand out here alone _and_ swear." Oh, the little bastard was smirking at me.

"_You're_ a royal, and you're standing out here alone", I pointed it out.

"I'm not alone- there's you", he shrugged.

"I don't count. I'm nobody", I said quickly. "A nobody you should really forget insulted you."

"Ohh... Funny thing about that- I'd _almost _forgotten about it, but then you reminded me." The smirk was back.

"Screw it, I don't care if the fall kills me." I climbed up onto the flat stone surface of the balcony, enjoying the dizzy, exhilarating feeling of knowing that the world was at my feet- and that the tiniest thing would be enough to make me fall. I felt _free._

"Careful. I _could _push you, you know." I closed my eyes.

"No, you wouldn't. You're a gentleman."

"How would you know?"

"You're a prince. Knight in shining armour and all that."

"You're a lady- yet you're standing on the edge of a balcony with a man who could- for all you know- push you off."

"I thought I didn't act like a royal?"

"True. A royal wouldn't stand here alone- they would stand inside and laugh at not very funny jokes made by important people and mooch off of the free food and drinks." I held in my laughter.

"Maybe I'm just a royal who wanted some fresh air."

"Please", he snorted. "A royal would never want any air that's not coming off of their own money." I did laugh that time.

"Ah, but you see, I came here to sniff my money in private", I said, struggling to keep my face straight. I let my lips curve into a pleased smile when I heard him give a delighted laugh. The wind surged, and my skirts swayed, causing me to almost fall.

"Whoa! Careful there!" He grabbed my ankles to keep me steady.

"Ah! So you do care!" I turned and grinned smugly.

"No, you're right. I am a gentleman. It comes with the crown." He tapped the golden circlet. I climbed back down, swinging my legs over the edge and settling for sitting, facing him.

"By that logic- if you can call it that- I'm a lady. It comes with the dress."

"No... If you were a lady, I'd've gotten bored of you already." He took a seat beside me.

"So all I had to do to scare you off was act like a lady? Why didn't you tell me?" I teased.

"I usually don't have to", he said. It was silent for a few seconds.

"Say something entertaining", he said suddenly. I turned and looked at him. "What? You've been doing a pretty bang-up job without me telling you to! Tell you what, say something that makes me laugh, and I'll give you something."

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Not telling, but it's good", he said, all sing-song. I hated to admit it, but I was intrigued.

"Umm... Anger and danger don't rhyme."

"... Was that supposed to make me laugh?"

"They really should, though! Think about it! Anger, danger- Danger is just anger with a d tacked to the beginning, yet they sound completely different! How? What idiot decided how to pronounce things?" I ranted. He snorted.

"Well, that little rant of yours was a tad amusing, I'll give you that", he said, getting up.

"Thank you. Now I believe you owe me something?" I said, standing up as well.

"Yes. You get to dance with me", he smiled.

"How is that a prize? That's a punishment, at best!" I exclaimed.

"Then what would it be at worse?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Torture, perhaps. I didn't think you'd ask that."

"I _am_ still a prince, you know. A little respect?" He looked at me. Still a prince. Huh. I guess I _had _forgotten it.

"But I show you all the respect you deserve, Your Supreme Excellent Superb Wonderful Amazing Astounding Regal Awesome Majesty", I said, faking sincerity.

"Don't step on my toes", he warned, pulling me onto the dance floor.

"Your feet are so big, it'll be hard not to", I teased. A song began to swell up, but I paused. "Wait. I don't even know your name!"

"Henry. It's Henry. Now let's dance."

**A/N- I'd love to go on a whole tangent about why someone with a personality like my Cinderella's would take orders from her step-family her whole life, but I'd rather not write it out here. If this gets five reviews or (preferably) more, I'll make this a multi-chaptered story, starting from the beginning. So... Please review, because reviews make me happy! And I'm sure the happiness of a stranger you've never met is very important to you!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N- Welp, I got five reviews, so... (Damn. Should've asked for ten.) I'm just adding the rest of the story to the original one-shot. So the first chapter's the prologue, of sorts. The parts in between the lines are flashbacks, I hope that it's not too confusing. Hope it lives up to expectations. :-)**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing. Although I do think that these characters are public domain.**

"She's not that ugly", Louis dismissed easily. I snorted.

"Yeah, that's what they all say. At first." I leaned against the edge of my broom.

"What do you mean?" he asked, bewildered.

"Look at her nose. Not her face, just her nose."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at the nose. Study the nose. Memorize the no-"

"Oh my God, it's huge!" he suddenly exclaimed. I smiled smugly.

"Exactly. Took me a year to notice. What was seen cannot be unseen." I shook my head and started sweeping again.

"And the other one?" Louis asked, tilting his head.

"Wait 'til she turns around", I said, turning to look at him.

"Why? _Oh! _Is that _all _acne?" He cringed in disgust.

"Hey, be nice!" I jokingly scolded. "All those zits do a _great_ job of covering up that monstrosity of a face!" Louis wrinkled his nose.

"And the stepmom?" he asked.

"No, she's actually pretty, no matter how much it kills me to admit it", I said, somewhat bitter. "Spose she had to be, to grab dear old pops."

"I had no idea what I was getting into when I took this stable boy job, did I?" Louis asked, brushing his blonde hair out of his eyes.

"Nope", I said, popping the 'p'. "You were expecting a typical rich family, instead you got two ugly stepsisters, one pretty stepmom, and a stunningly beautiful tragic maiden."

"Stunningly beautiful tragic maiden? Where can I find her?" Louis joked. I poked him in the side with a broom. Yes, I admit it. I was shamelessly flirting. So sue me. Our last stable boy was seven years older than me, had a pretty damn extreme problem with body odour, and was slightly overweight. This one was two months older than me, had blonde hair and brown eyes, and did not smell like horse dung.

"Stunningly beautiful tragic maiden who is about to hit a stable boy over the head with a broom", I corrected, laughing.

"And what is this stunning beautiful tragic maiden's name?" Louis asked.

"Cinderella. You can call me Cindy, you can call me Ella, you cannot call me Der!" I curtsied.

"What kind of a name is Cinder-"

"You! Your father needs you!" My stepmother's voice sharply commanded, interrupting Louis.

"Ah, yes, I forgot- this dysfunctional family also includes a bedridden father who has fits every two seconds!" I added brightly, leaning my broom against the wall and walking over to my father's chamber. I slowly entered the room and let the laughter drain out of my face.

"Hey, Dad", I said gently.

"_No! Get away from me! Stop!_" he cried, thrashing out.

"It's me, Dad. It's Ella", I reassured him softly.

"Ellie?" He stopped and looked at me.

"Yeah, it's me", I smiled.

* * *

"What do you mean?" I demanded. The doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, he won't be awake a lot. And when he is, it's rather likely that he'll start having a fit, and he won't be able to handle all that stress. He'll need someone familiar, someone he loves to calm him down."

"Well, I can do it", Marie said indifferently.

"Are you dumb? He said somebody he _loves_, you cow", I spat. "Not some toad that just married him for his money. I'll have to do it."

"He does love me", she said, seeming confident. I snorted.

"Don't be so sure of that, you..." Damn. Animal, animal, animal... Got it! "Pig!"

"We'll see", Marie hissed at me, making a dramatic exit. I sighed through my nose.

"I have to put up with that every day. Hell on Earth, I swear. So, you're sure there's no cure?"

"He's extremely weak right now. There's no cure for that. There's a slim chance that he could improve, but right now keeping him calm is of the utmost importance", the doctor said gravely.

"How slim?" I asked, fiddling with my ring, a silver band that just barely fit, squeezing my pinkie.

"Conditions like these generally get worse over time, but there have been a few recoveries. But if I were you, I wouldn't get my hopes up", he said, trying to sound as gentle as possible.

"You don't need to worry about that", I muttered darkly.

"Feeding him will be hard- waking him up could make him worse, so wait after calming him down and try to feed him some broth. The man's just had a heart attack, after all."

* * *

"You hungry?" I asked quietly.

"No", he replied tiredly. "Sweetheart, why are you wearing rags?"

"I was showing the new stable boy around, and I didn't want to get any of my good clothes dirty", I answered automatically. Huh. It was actually true this time.

"Alright... You don't have to do that, though..." He was already starting to doze off again.

* * *

My father began to shake uncontrollably in his bed.

"Quick! What do I do?" I asked the tall man before me, panicking.

"_You_ don't have to do anything", Marie said snidely, rushing back into the room. Had she been listening at the door the entire time? Cow. "I'm here, darling-"

"No! Get away!" my father cried. I pushed my stepmother aside.

"Dad! Dad, it's me!" I said desperately.

"Ella?" he asked slowly, thankfully calming down. I quickly shot Marie a smug look.

"Yes, Dad... Don't worry, everything's fine... Just... Just go back to sleep, alright?" I said soothingly. Marie looked furious, and stormed out, all in a huff.

* * *

I carefully shut the door behind me and found myself face-to-hideous face with Lilian.

"My clothes need washing", she said briskly, turning her huge nose up.

"Nose", I said simply. Her ears started turning red.

"MOTHER!" she screamed shrilly. I smirked.

"What have you done now, Cinder?" Marie came running up, like Lilian had blown a dog whistle.

"She- she insulted my nose", Lilian accused, stabbing a finger in my direction.

"Me?" I batted my eyelashes, feigning innocence. "I just said nose, as in, she has a nose. And she does have a nose." _She most definitely has a nose_, I added mentally. _Even a blind man could see that._

"You know Lilian's nose is a touchy subject!" Marie yelled, her features twisted by anger.

"Really? Why would it be a touchy subject?" I asked, all sickly sweet. Oh, I had been planning this for a _long _time.

"Because it's huge!" Marie shouted. I gave myself a mental pat on the back. They were so predictable.

"You think my nose is huge?!" Lilian turned on her mother.

"What? No!" Marie tried to backtrack, realizing her mistake. I quietly slipped away- they were so used to ignoring me that they wouldn't notice, anyway.

* * *

I escorted the doctor out of the manor and walked back inside, running a hand through my brown hair.

"Ella, clean the house." I turned to see Marie looking at me coldly, a smug look in her blue eyes.

"We have a maid", I said, walking away.

"I dismissed her."

I turned around. "What?"

"You're our new maid now", she said, looking as though she had won some kind of power game she thought we were playing. That woman was delusional.

"I'm sorry, did you fall and hit your head? Because you're acting even more stupid than usual, and that's saying something", I whirled back around, walking away.

* * *

"Why do they call you Cinderella?" Louis asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

"Don't do that!" I jumped. I slowly inhaled. "You're a stable boy, shouldn't you be in- oh gosh, I don't know- the stables?"

"Why do they call you Cinderella?" Louis persisted.

"Power play", I mumbled, twisting my ring. "Now leave me alone."

* * *

My door wouldn't open. My door, the only way out of my room, was locked tight. You could see how that might be a problem. And unless I shrank to roughly the size of a mouse, climbing out of my tiny windows was not an option. ... Maybe if I lost some weight?

What imbecile even made doors lock from outside? Seriously!

"I'll let you out when you agree to my conditions." _Marie_.

* * *

"E- Cinder. The king's ball is tonight. I need the gown I bought prepared. Now."

"What's the point? You'll be hideous anyways", I replied snidely. Rosanne's eyes narrowed.

"At least I'm _going_. The prince'll actually see me", Rosanne sneered.

"Huh. I feel sorry for the boy", I riposted. "That's a fate I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy."

* * *

"And you have to wear the rags you'll find in your closet and finish sweeping the house", she finally finished. I snorted.

"And _why, _pray tell, would I do that?" I asked.

"Because then I won't let you out and then there will be no one to calm your dear father down. And he'll _die._" I could hear the smirk in her voice.

"I- I can pick the lock", I countered.

"Can you pick through a solid iron deadbolt?" she asked coldly. I wavered. "Oh look, he's starting again." I pounded on the door violently.

"Let me out! Let me _out_!" I screamed. "I agree, I agree!"

**A/N- Yep. The only thing that would keep my Cinderella here is if she was trapped between a rock and a hard place. Hope you liked this, I would've put it up as soon as I got the five reviews, but I had so much stuff to do, and I was working on this on and off the whole time. Reviews make me happy, and being happy makes me write faster! (Hint, hint.)**


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